vintage buffet repurposed to media center

I was given this old buffet back in the early spring. It’s been sitting in storage looking all pitiful just waiting for the tlc it deserves. When I got this piece and blogged about it, Susan remarked that she had it’s twin. I already knew it would make a perfect media center since it was missing the middle drawer, but after seeing Susan’s, I just had to have this in my living room to replace the one I built from scratch years ago.

Sure, she has some problems, but great bones!

The first thing I did was tackle all of the bad veneer. Some was loose, and some was missing. In the middle left picture… I just took the rest of that veneer off.

This is the top, it was in pretty rough shape, I sanded it totally down.

You can see the top here, and I gave everything a quick coat of my diy chalky paint as a primer.

It was ready for the paint booth, but first I had to protect the top from paint, because the plan is to stain the top. I always lay a layer of painter’s tape on first, then I tape paper onto that.

While I was spray painting during the 24 in 24 challenge in Cleveland, I figured out a great way to spray drawers without getting paint on the inside. During that challenge, there wasn’t time to tape of the insides of the drawers. You can see here, that I simply lay them upside down—no paint getting inside these drawers when I use my HomeRight Finish Max Fine Finish Sprayer. NOTE: I did not tape off the insides of the drawer areas, look how little overspray there is.

It even worked well with this extra large drawer. You can see the difference in the paint here. The drawer hasn’t been sprayed yet. I used Behr Premium Plus paint (Beluga) in semi-gloss.

Look closely at this picture. You can see along the bottom where I did the primer coat with the chalky paint.

Look at the top of the paper, very little overspray there either. To be honest, a lot of this has to do with how much I use this sprayer, I’ve gotten really good at it.

Here is the top, ready to be stained.

I used Minwax Jacobean to stain the top, then I sealed it with several light coats of Minwax Wipe-on Poly (satin).

I spray painted the hardware, using a semi-gloss black.

The poor old thing is missing some trim, but I just think it adds to her charm, and is part of her story.

I love old furniture. They just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Remember, I didn’t tape these drawers… love that Finish Max! It makes my life so much easier, and gives a great finish. win/win

This is where I keep it real. This piece has been finished for several weeks….in storage just waiting for one last touch. I’m hoping to have it in the house very soon, thinking if I show you this much, I won’t keep putting it off.

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ABOUT GAIL WILSON - A teacher at heart, Gail Wilson relishes the chance not to show off her projects, but to help others find their inner handywoman, step-by-step. Her blog, MyRepurposedLife.com, chronicles her scrap-saving adventures and has been featured on countless DIY magazines and websites, including Women’s Day, Design*Sponge and Apartment Therapy. She is a longtime influencer for both Homeright and Gorrilla Glue. With a tribe of more than 450,000 followers, Gail is inspiring a new generation of DIYers to pick up some tools and get to work.

I am curious abt the minwax you used. I refinished a desk a while back & used minwax paste finishing was but it didnt come out near as beautiful as yours here did. Can you elaborate on the type of minwax you used.

Wow! It is an impressive piece of furniture, Gail! And you did a great job. Love how your sprayer is so precise. I’m looking forward to seeing it in your living room…all set up. And so are your Bunco friends! [wink] Hope your weekend is Extraordinary!

Thanks for the technical tips. I just bought the sprayer but haven’t used it yet because of garage overload so it’s just as well that I saw this first. The advice on drawer painting is a huge time saver. Do you spray the chalky paint or brush it on?

Oh wow, that is going to look so nice in your house. I love that you thought of using the missing drawer for a purpose. Those type of cabinets are selling for a lot lately, so you really scored. I also like the top stained, the contrast is awesome!

Gail I made the exact same one out of the bottom of my Grandmother’s hutch and I love it, it is the TV stand in our living room. Instead of the top 2 drawers I put baskets in the space… I even stained a new top because there was no top when I removed the hutch… we have twiin TV stands now! 🙂 Beautiful piece! Susan

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Hi, there! I’m Gail Wilson, the author and mastermind behind My Repurposed Life. I’m obsessed with finding potential in unexpected places and believe that with a little hard work and imagination, any old thing can be made useful again—myself included! I hope you’ll enjoy the journey and pick up a few tools along the way… literally! Read More

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